Tag Archives: Android Phones

Google kicked off its annual Google I/O developer keynote in a big way Wednesday by announcing a new version of the Android operating system, a new tablet, a media streamer, and Google+ updates, along with news on the company's Project Glass. We don’t have much in the way of details right now, but here is what we know so far:

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Jelly Bean is the next update to the Android OS (Given the revision number 4.1 versus the 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich release of a couple of months ago.). Project Butter is the first phase of Google's attempt to improve Android's performance. With Project Butter, scrolling and swiping animations should be smoother than they are on older Android versions.

Jelly Bean uses a new search interface its calling "cards" to make it easier to read and digest certain types of information. As an example, if you search for the weather forecast, search cards will provide an attractive display that shows the weather conditions, temperature, and forecast in a Siri-like display.

Search cards can show things like answers to questions and image search results. It also works with Android's voice search feature.

Other Jelly Bean 4.1 improvements include an upgraded camera app and the ability to send photos and videos from one phone to another via Google Beam.

Google began its keynote address with some figures on Android activations. So far, it’s hardware partners have sold in excess of 400 million Android-based devices, and that number is increasing with more than 1 million Android phone or tablet activations every day. At last year’s Google I/O, the company announced that 100 million Android devices had shipped so far.

Intel is doing what it can to stand up to multi-core market dominators like Samsung, NVIDIA and Qualcomm. Intel’s general manager of mobile and communications Mike Bell acknowledged that Intel has supported multi-core chips since Android 2.3.4 but noted that internal testing had shown that multi-core chips sometimes run slower than single-core models. He said they’ve concluded that, in order to address this problem, Android needs to be more compatible with multi-core processors.

“If you take a look a lot of cell phone on the market, when you turn on the second core or having the second core there [on die], the [current] leakage is high enough and their power threshold is low enough because of the size of the case that it isn’t entirely clear you get much of a benefit to turning the second core on,” Bell claimed. “We ran our own numbers and [in] some of the use cases we’ve seen, having a second core is actually a detriment, because of the way some of the people have not implemented their thread scheduling.”

Bell also said that he has “taken a look at the multiple core implementations in the market, and frankly, in a thermal and/or power constrained environment – what has been implemented – it isn’t obvious to me you really get the advantage for the size and the cost of what’s going into that part.”

Intel isn’t talking about a deadline for the delivery of a multi-core Atom processor. Bell would only say that the company is investing in “software to fix the scheduler and fix the threading so if we do multi-core products it actually takes advantage of it.”

Like Skype, Line provides free calls and messages all over the world, regardless of mobile network provider. Line is already being used in over 230 countries by 40 million people (18 million of these are in Japan).

This new version makes use of the unique Windows (R) Phone user-interface system, Metro UI, which increases user friendliness and promotes stress-free communication by arranging text for increased clarit. It further introduces sideways menu scrolling for ease of access, a distinctive characteristic of Windows (R) Phone. Although the release of this version will feature the all-important messaging function, it will not include the free-calling function. NHN Japan plans to add this function in the near future.

The Windows (R) Phone version is seen as a welcome addition to the current versions of LINE which are available on iPhone, Android, feature-phones and PCs as well as a browser version for smart-tablets. NHN Japan hopes to increase the strength of its mobile messenger service by making it available across all platforms and devices.

Line is downloadable, but currently the app has the free calling capability disabled. The company is working on fixing the call problem, but the service can be used for texting.

A new report suggests that the popularity of Google’s Android OS is due to peak in 2012. The market will begin a major shift towards a strong Microsoft Windows platform.

The market research firm IDC just released the details of its latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report. The firm predicts that, while cell phone shipments will reach 1.8 billion units this year (compared to 1.7 billion in 2011), the numbers reflect stalled growth when compared to previous years. The major cause seems to be the beginning of a rapid decline in sales for feature phones. The IDC forecasts the lowest annual growth rate in their sales since 2009.

Protect your Android devices with the latest innovative protection solutions... stylish top brand cases and skins specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression. Discover a wide protection collection for:

IDC analyst Kevin Restivo was quoted as saying, “The smartphone parade won’t be as lively this year as it has been in past. The mobile phone user-transition from feature phones to smartphones will continue in a gradual but unabated fashion. Smartphone growth, however, will increasingly be driven by a triumvirate of smartphone operating systems, namely Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7.”

The smartphone market is expected to continue growing over the next five years, but IDC sees 2012 as the start of a major shift. Android has a big lead in the number of devices sporting its popular OS – predicted to be a 61% share by year-end. Apple’s iOS takes second place with 20.5%, one-third the size of Google’s market. The upstart Microsoft Windows/Windows Mobile will probably end 2012 with a 5.2% share of the market, less than one-tenth the size of Android. By 2016, the IDC says the numbers will look significantly different.

They predict that smartphone shipments will continue to grow through 2016, but this timeframe will see a big decline in Android OS use. It will probably peak in 2012 and then begin to lose significant market share to the Windows Phone platform. Apple’s iOS will probably see some decline as well.

Here are the IDC’s predictions. Between 2012 and 2016, Android’s share of the global market will decline more than 7% - from 61% to 52.9%. Apple’s iOS will become slightly less popular, going from 20.5% to 19%. Microsoft will be the big winner, with a quadrupling of its market share from 2012’s measly 5.2% to 19.2% in 2016. This obviously surpasses iOS as the No.2 smartphone platform in the world, not to mention ought to cause Google execs some sleepless nights.

“Underpinning the smartphone market is the constantly shifting OS landscape,” IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said. “Android will maintain leadership throughout our forecast, while others will gain more mobile operator partnerships (Apple) or currently find themselves in the midst of a major transition (BlackBerry and Windows Phone/Windows Mobile). What remains to be seen is how these different operating systems – as well as others – will define and shape the user experience beyond what we see today in order to attract new customers and encourage replacements.”

IDC expects RIM’s smartphone market share to stay relatively flat for the next few years. It will probably hold steady at around 6%. Other smartphone platforms can only expect a mere 3% of the market by 2016, down from 7.2% in 2012. Samsung’s Tizen platform makes up the majority of that 3%. Sorry Samsung. Maybe you should concentrate on Galaxy S IV and beyond.

One of the biggest problems users have with choosing an Android phone over another platform is figuring out which OS is going to give the best performance with which type of phone. A number of companies, including OpenSignalMaps, have been trying to quantify the problem by analyzing the amount of fragmentation in the market.

Using data from 681,900 devices that downloaded OpenSignalMaps software over the past six months, they found 3,997 distinct Android devices running its app. This is a great chart showing the spread:

Each rectangle represents a unique Android device. The big green rectangle in the upper left is the Samsung Galaxy S II - by far the most popular Android phone in the study.

This shows an incredible number of Android version/display resolution combinations. Analysts at OpenSignalMaps predict that number will continue to grow. Their report states: “Android has shown commitment to make it easier to target multiple screen sizes – by introducing the (perhaps ironically named) fragments APIs in 2011 which makes it easier to turn view elements into modules.”

OpenSignalMaps also took a look at the version of Android each device was running:

More than half of all Android phones are still running version 2.3 Gingerbread, and Gingerbread is all of 18 months old. The newest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, barely shows on the chart.

Since Google’s Android is free and open for use by any hardware manufacturer, there are thousands of different devices running the OS. “Android fragmentation” is the term given to the spread of different versions of the Android OS across all devices.

So what does this mean? It’s a really good situation if you want more choice in your hardware. But it's really bad if you want timely software updates or a guarantee the latest and greatest apps will work on your device.

The OpenSignalMaps report concluded that the benefits of building apps for Android far outweigh the drawbacks. ”One of the joys of developing for Android is you have no idea who’ll end up using your app. With many devices under $100 unsubsidized, Android phones and tablets are able to reach a market that can’t afford netbooks. For the majority of the world’s population smartphones (and not computers) will be the must-have devices.”

In case you were wondering where Apple fits in, they don’t have this problem. iOS only runs on one phone, the iPhone, and the latest version still supports the three-year-old iPhone 3GS. Microsoft is following the Apple model somewhat. They require Windows Phone manufacturers meet strict requirements to guarantee that updates go through to all devices in a timely fashion.

Developer Michael DeGusta created the visualization of what he called Android’s fragmented update history. He wrote, “Ever since the iPhone turned every smartphone into a blank slate, the value of a phone is largely derived from the software it can run and how well the phone can run it. When you’re making a 2 year commitment to a device, it’d be nice to have some way to tell if the software was going to be remotely current in a year or, heck, even a month.”

Virgin Mobile is a company that has been changing the way that they do business, and with the opening of their Halifax store they are really making changes to the retail model of their company. Previously, the company was all about the kiosks that they open in malls and in various upscale areas. Now, it looks like they are looking to open physical locations for their retail stores for starting in Halifax.

Along with the opening of the new store, the company is also offering $100 off for smartphone purchase by user, with a limit of one phone per user. This is going to be only available to users in the East Coast, and only two members of the Virgin mobile carrier. You already have to be a member at the activating a new phone on their service in order to receive the discount. Included in this discount is the new unlocked Samsung Galaxy S II 4G.

There are many different phones that will be included in the sale, but the best way to get in and phones that are available or can walk into the new store and poke around. The store is going to have a number of different fields other than the smart phone to you as well, so you might be able to put together a good idea of the number of different deals that they have. You might be able to save quite a bit of money by checking out the deals that they thanks to the opening of their retail store.

This move suggests that perhaps the company is looking to change the way that they do business. As a company that worked mostly on kiosks in malls and various other locations, the change to retail stores shows that they are looking to make a number of changes as a result of the changing global environment. The business has changed substantially over the course of last few years and you can expect more companies to make changes like this one in the future.

The unlocked HTC Incredible S is a device that has received a lot of attention over the course of the last few weeks - and for good reason, it is a very solid offering from the company. Although the specs indicate that the upgrade of the device would be minor at best, just play with it for a few seconds and you will see how much faster it operates than it previously did. The screen moved from 3.7 to 4 inches, which is quite a huge growth for just an upgrade of a previous device.

The device looks pretty plain in terms of style, but that doesn’t mean that it does not perform very well. Its 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is more than enough to power through the Android 2.2 operating system very easily. The battery life is great compared to previous versions of the device, and it outperforms most competitors in terms of speed. The company has also said that they expect to have a Gingerbread upgrade for the phone sometime by the end of June, which just gives consumers more reason to take a serious look at the device.

Its 8 megapixel rear facing camera, combined with a 1.3 front facing camera are also very attractive options for the device. Although it does not come standard with an HDMI port, it does have other neat features such as a really potent LED flash.

The display on the device is beautiful, and is a huge upgrade over the previous version. The image that it delivers are quite vivid, and really stands out amongst other phones. It has 800 x 480 display that looks insanely clean, and the controls are quite smart. The Super AMOLED display of HTC Incredible S unlocked is definitely the highlight of the device, which comes in underweight for the number of features that it offers.

Sony Ericcson is pushing very hard to get their new Android devices that will be coming out this year in front of the eyes of the public. A number of other devices have already been announced, including the Arc, U5a Vivaz pro, unlocked Xperia X10 and the Neo looks like another solid addition to that line. The device will be powered by the already highly popular Android 3.3 Gingerbread operating system.

This is the first time that the device has been shown to the public. There was not word on when customers could expect the device to be released, and the advertisement was only seen along side a “coming soon” warning. So far there isn’t even any information about which carrier the device will be available on. Alongside the device in the advertisement, a few specs and facts about the device were made available. First of all, it will utilize their new CMOS sensor, which allows for users to take great video and pictures, even when they are in very low lighting. It will also feature their Reality display on the BRAVIA Engline,a nd will have a built in HDMI port, which has been a hot commodity for smart devices in recent weeks and months.

The Neo will have a 3.7 inch display, along with a hearty eight megapixel camera that will be able to capture up to 720p video in HD. The standard 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor was used in the device. Although not all of the information about the device is available at this current juncture, the site did make it clear that it will be available in three colors; white, blue, and red. It will be interesting to see how well received the device is moving forward and also what carrier it will be available on straight out of the gate. IT is possible that it could be rebranded and be available on a number of different carriers, but there is no information to support that at this time.

It looks as though Hewlett Packard is quite serious about using WebOS in their PC’s. The company has long been rumored to be condiering adding that functionality to their PC’s, but the announcement was made by the CEO, Leo Apotheker that all HP personal computers will start working with both Web OS as well as Microsoft Windows starting next year. The company said that they were trying to find a reason for developers to have incentive to developer new apps for the platform, which is used on many HP unlocked cell phones and printers.

Right now, the software sector is digging a 2 percent hole in their finances, which is slowing the company down in their investments. It will be interesting to see if this move convinces more people to create software for webOS now that it will be included on personal computers.

This does not mean that HP personal computers will not have the ability to use Windows 7. In fact, the software will still come loaded on the machine, but will not be the only option available. Apparently, the company is looking to make their WebOs just as available as the windows installation and allow users to switch from one to the other. It certainly is a bit of an interesting strategy and is not one that we have seen employed by really any companies that are taking part in the Mobile revolution. Look for WebOs to gain some popularity from this move, but who knows if it is really enough to help the company deal with not having any development companies that are interested in developing software for their platform.

No one was surprised in the fact that the Android device from Garminfone has not really hit on T-Mobile hugely, or nor for any other carriers, as it is said by Garmin that the cell phone division of them has not also performed as per as their hopes expectations.

The second quarter earnings of the company have given the following statement:

Sales of their smartphone product of contributed category of $27M revenued in while the quarter is going on. The time When all these were below their plan, they had been working with utter aggression with T-Mobile as well as other around the world carriers on their appropriate positioning as well as pricing of their devices in random competitive space of smartphone.

It did not surprise anybody terribly that the world is not set on fire by the Garminfone because several key features are missed by the device such as a jack of headphone! Even Android of modern version is also missing. Although to be fair enough, on-board maps are packed by it, so, quite unlike the Google Navigation, there is nothing to be worried about holding a continuous connection of Data for directions.

One solid quarter was posted by Garmin overall but unfortunately we cannot see a well bode future until and unless it can really up its games with the smartphones. The market of the device of personal navigation device is eventually likely to be dwindled as many more people now carry smartphone and that too with similar kind of navigation capabilities. It is quite sure that the phone sets are not quite that good as those dedicated devices; still it has got more convenience as well as enough good features for most of the cases.

Garmin to all its credits understands this well and it is making a team with Asus for producing Android phones.